Sycamore and teak box

I remodeled my house a few years ago and had to remove an American sycamore tree. This was my first attempt at going from tree to finished project. Unfortunately, some of the wood developed staining from my ignorance about drying wood. But some of the pieces had intriguing patterns that I just couldn’t throw away. This is one of the boxes from that learning experience.

The top is book matched then mitered at the front edge for a “waterfall” effect, and reinforced with a gusset. The knob is oil-rubbed bronze in a vaguely contemporary/Asian style that I got at Chown Hardware in Portland, OR.

The box itself is from a scrap of teak I found in my father’s shop when we were cleaning it out after he passed away. So, while I’ve had a couple of offers for it, there’s a sentimental value that overwhelms any desire to sell it or give it away.

Cool design with the front/top both hinged together. The waterfall effect with the sycamore makes this project very unique. That is some of the darkest teak I have seen. Does it darken this much with age?

This design is all about the lid, and you have really capitalized on showing off the grain in the top piece. The flow of the grain across the top and down the front is a real eye grabber. Nice work.

The gusset is a necessary evil to re-enforce both the book matched joint and miter, but it meant you had to chamfer the front of your top tray. Did you consider shaping your gusset more like a traditional quarter round? Putting a triangle at each end would work too, but the gusset you have used is much more mechanically sound and more straight forward. The exposed lock joint at the bottom is another interesting choice.

Thanks for posting your work. You have created a beautiful box and it has several unique design features. I especially liked the story of the wood. Have you considered writing that down and putting it inside the box?

Thanks to all of you for the kind comments. I feel honored to be a part of this group and to have so many of my peers react so warmly to my work.

As to the details…

MisterBill – The hinges are brass pins, concealed with plugs. I used small plastic washers to maintain the consistent gap between the lid and the box. Originally the gap between the box and the square top/back edge of the lid acted as a stop, but with use the gap proved to be a little too big and it now goes all the way back. I haven’t yet figured out a solution that doesn’t look “clunky” or detract from the design. Any ideas?

gfadvm – I don’t know where the wood came from but it has some worm hole “damage” so I’m thinking it may have been in the water for a while.